Woke up at 4:45, and directly to the east I am seeing this really bright star. I'm talking big ass bright star. First I thought it was a heli over abbotsford airport or something, but after about 30 minutes it had slowly risen with the rest of the stars. I have never noticed it there.

That bright star is the planet Venus. It left the evening sky at the end of Aug and will be in the morning sky for the next 8 months. It's the brightest thing in the sky after the sun and the moon. If you watch it from week to week you'll see that it will have moved in it's path among the background stars.